NFIB Weekly News
Leading the News
NFIB: Major Win for Main Street as FinCEN Promises to Destroy Small Business Beneficial Owner Data... (09/10/2025)
Congressional Letter Led by Senator Jim Banks, Congressman Warren Davidson Was Key Step in Protecting America’s Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 10, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, released the following statement from NFIB President Brad Close in response to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announcement that they will destroy the data previously submitted by U.S. small business owners who were forced to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act’s unconstitutional and invasive Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting rule, and that FinCEN will issue a final rule by the end of the year.
Read the full article here
NFIB Releases New Ads Thanking Congress for Making the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction Permanent (08/22/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 22, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, today released new radio, digital and billboard advertisements thanking Congress for taking action to make the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction permanent.
The multi-platform campaign, which represents a continuation of NFIB’s multi-year advocacy effort in support of the Small Business Deduction, is running on radio, digital, and billboards in states across the country. The ads thank Congress for voting to make the deduction permanent and for stopping a massive tax hike on small business owners.
Read the full article here
Federal Court Delivers Swipe-Fee Relief for Small Business Retailers (08/12/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 12, 2025) – NFIB commends the recent decision in the case Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System at the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. The case concerns the Federal Reserve’s Regulation II, which allows banks to extract exorbitant profits from small businesses through debit card swipe fees. The court vacated the rule, concluding that the Federal Reserve considered factors beyond the authority granted to it by Congress. Unfortunately, the court paused its holding from taking effect while the government appeals.
Read the full article here
Small businesses support commonsense legislation to provide clarity and reduce excessive government regulation (07/21/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 21, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, announced that H.R. 3898, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act will be an NFIB Key Vote for the 119th Congress. NFIB sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the legislation which, if enacted, will deliver a long overdue fix to the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) permitting framework and will provide small business owners with much needed certainty surrounding the permitting process.
Read the full article here
Small Businesses Ask for Clarity Regarding Arbitration Exemptions (07/17/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 17, 2025) – NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case Jose Madrigal v. Ferguson Enterprises, LLC, et al. at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case considers the Federal Arbitration Act’s exemption of transportation workers who engage in foreign or interstate commerce. NFIB filed the brief with the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Read the full article here
NFIB wins lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission (07/09/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 9, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) celebrates a victory in the case Custom Communications, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. NFIB filed a legal challenge against the FTC’s Negative Option Rule, which targeted small businesses that engage in automatic renewals of subscriptions or memberships. Yesterday, the Court ruled in favor of small businesses and vacated the harmful rule.
Read the full article here
Business Climate
NEW NFIB SURVEY: Small Business Optimism Improves Again (09/09/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 9, 2025) – The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 0.5 points in August to 100.8, nearly 3 points above the 52-year average of 98. Of the 10 Optimism Index components, four increased, four decreased, and two were unchanged. The increase in those expecting real sales to be higher contributed the most to the rise in the Optimism Index. The Uncertainty Index fell by 4 points to 93 but remained well above the historical average. The decline was due to a decrease in uncertainty about financing expectations and planned capital expenditures.
Read the full article here
NFIB Launches Small Business Deduction Thank You Ads for Lawmakers (09/02/2025)
Making the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction permanent has been one of the biggest wins for small businesses in recent years. This massive achievement was made possible by the tireless efforts of the small business community urging lawmakers to provide critical tax relief for nearly 33 million small businesses. NFIB’s launch of digital, billboard, and radio ads thank Congress for preventing a massive tax hike for our nation’s small businesses.
Read the full article here
Small Businesses Urge Congress to Pass Healthcare Freedom and Choice Act (08/19/2025)
Small businesses widely rely on STLD health insurance plans to provide coverage for employees. The current one-size-fits-all restrictions eliminate affordable options for small businesses and their employees. NFIB sent letters of support to the U.S. House and Senate urging them to pass the Healthcare Freedom and Choice Act for better health care choices for small businesses.
Read the full article here
Small Businesses Make Progress Against Regulatory Burdens (08/19/2025)
As NFIB continues its fight to eliminate harmful regulations and overreach impacting small businesses, there have been significant developments in several recent legal cases. Learn more about the implications of these critical cases facing small businesses.
Read the full article here
Main Street Business Owners Report Improving Conditions (08/12/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2025) – The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.7 points in July to 100.3, slightly above the 52-year average of 98. Contributing most to the rise in the Optimism Index were respondents reporting better business conditions and reporting that it is a good time to expand. In contrast to the Optimism Index, the Uncertainty Index increased by eight points from June to 97. Twenty-one percent of small business owners reported labor quality as their single most important problem, up five points from June and ranking as the top problem.
Read the full article here
New Op-Ed Highlights Labor Threats Facing Small Businesses (08/08/2025)
Washington, D.C. (August 8, 2025) – In a new op-ed in The Washington Reporter, Dylan Rosnick, NFIB Principal of Federal Government Relations highlights the labor threats facing small business owners and outlines how certain policy proposals in Congress could decimate Main Street businesses. Rosnick urges lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to deliver relief by rejecting radical, big-government mandates that bury small businesses in uncertainty, regulatory burdens, and red tape.
Read the full article here
Wages and Benefits
Job openings were the highest in construction, manufacturing, and transportation (09/04/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 4, 2025) – NFIB’s August jobs report found that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in August, down 1 point from July. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32% was in July 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (down 1 point), and 13% have openings for unskilled labor (up 1 point).
Read the full article here
Tips to Avoid Five Most Common HR Mistakes (08/04/2025)
Maintaining a happy and productive workplace requires structure and guidance. Many claims, lawsuits, and issues in business are avoidable with proper attentiveness. Watch this webinar featuring Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center to learn more.
Read the full article here
NFIB Jobs Report: Labor Shortages Continue to Constrain Small Business Job Growth (05/01/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 1, 2025) – NFIB’s April jobs report found that 34% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in April, down six points from March, the lowest since January 2021.
“Small business owners remained open to hire and grow their workforce in April,” said Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “While the percent of open positions decreased a bit, Main Street firms are still struggling to find qualified applicants for their plentiful open positions.”
Read the full article here
Health Care: Small Business Pays More, Gets Less (04/16/2025)
What it means: Affordable health care is essential for the success of America’s small businesses. Small business owner Marcie Strouse shared with lawmakers the various ways Congress can provide relief from rising costs.
Our take: “Small businesses are paying more and getting less. Small firms pay nearly twice as much for health insurance as large businesses. Unlike large corporations, small businesses lack the bargaining power to negotiate lower premiums,” said Josselin Castillo, NFIB Principal Federal Government Relations.
Take Action: It is time for Congress to provide immediate relief for millions of Americans. Urge your elected officials to make health care more accessible and affordable to small business owners.
Read the full article here
Small Businesses Support Legislation to Restart the PAID Program (03/26/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 26, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, sent a letter to Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06) in strong support of his legislation, the Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act. This legislation would reinstate and codify the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which provided small businesses flexibility to self-report and correct minor wage and hour violations before incurring a penalty.
Read the full article here
NFIB Jobs Report: Small Business Job Creation Weakens in February (03/06/2025)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 6, 2025) – NFIB’s February jobs report found that 38% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in February, up three points from January and the highest reading since August 2024. A seasonally adjusted net 15% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down three points from January.
Read the full article here